The Valley Catholic October 24, 2017 | Page 17

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS tvc.dsj.org | October 24, 2017 17 Holy Family School Love & Hope for All Love and hope is what our Holy Family School students have displayed during their fi rst full month of school. We are so proud of our students for taking the month of September to remind us of the importance of help- ing others. In such a short period of time our students raised money for the Hurricane Relief eff orts and Pediatric Cancer. Once we heard of the disasters oc- curring on the other side of the country, our students decided to take action. Our eff orts to raise money began at our Back to School BBQ and carried through each of our classrooms. Our fi rst graders collected over $100 and together as a school we collected over $500 for the Hurricane Relief eff orts. Thinking of others did not stop there, Holy Family School spent one week focusing on National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Gold is the color that represents Childhood Cancer Awareness. Holy Family Student Coun- cil, led by Shelly Caron, organized a “Go For The Gold” fundraiser to raise awareness and money for Childhood Cancer Research. Students purchased free dress for $5 and wore “Gold” in honor of Childhood Cancer Aware- ness. The entire student body and staff were given yellow ribbons made by the student council to wear. Together the school raised over $700, which will be donated to Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. Knowing that the funds raised will be going to a hospital to help fi nd treatments and cures is something that our students are proud to be a part of. Sometimes with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we forget how blessed we are in our own lives. Our Holy Family School students are humbled with the awareness of people aff ected by the hurricane and children who are aff ected by cancer. We con- tinue this academic year with more love and hope for everyone that is in need. Blessing of Fall Athletes An athlete cups his hands to receive a blessing from Father Tony Mancuso. With the anthem of perseverance, “Chariots of Fire,” playing on the school PA system, Saint Francis High School student-athletes and coaches as- sembled in the quad to receive a bless- ing as their fall season gets underway. They were anointed with holy oil, refl ecting an old tradition dating to the ancient Olympics. Athletes would rub themselves with oil, which did not An Apple a Day: Saint Martin of Tours Refreshes Tech As the old saying goes, “fi nd a need, fi ll a need.” At Saint Martin of Tours School, the need for a singular tech- nology platform arose over the past several years. After working closely with the administration, staff , and the parent technology advisory commit- tee, the decision to commit to an all Apple device platform was made. This allowed for a multitude of technologi- cal improvements to take place across the campus. The most noticeable change has been the introduction of a 1:1 iPad pro- gram in sixth through eighth grades. This program allows students to col- laborate on work, hone their skills for high school and beyond, and create innovative projects which demon- strate their learning. iPads can also be found in the TK through fi fth grade classrooms, providing students access to adaptive learning applications and creative production apps. In order to fully integrate the tech- nology into the classroom, AppleTVs were added in all rooms to allow for wireless streaming of content from the devices to SMART boards and projectors. The shift to all Apple devices brought with it greater management ability in the classroom through the Students create movie projects, using iMovie and GarageBand, about helping verbs. use of the Apple Classroom app. Teach- ers now have unprecedented ability to guide students to specifi c sites and applications, ensuring that the iPads are truly learning tools. All teachers received in servicing on proper usage of the iPads and on lesson development to assure that tech is being used to en- hance lessons in the best possible way. Saint Martin of Tours School is striving to strike the perfect balance between screen time and face time with students. With plenty of small group work, hands-on activities, and off -site fi eld trips at the core of the curriculum, Saint Martin of Tours School embraces the belief that tech usage every day doesn’t have to mean tech usage all day. come off easily, to symbolize the armor warriors put on for battle. School chaplain, Father Tony Man- cuso, told those in attendance their abilities are gifts from God and when they use their talents to the fullest, they are giving glory and honor to God. Father Steve Kim reminded stu- dents that when their competitions – or plans, projects, relationships – don’t go as they hope, they can use their failures as learning opportunities and starting points to launch something good. “We can glorify God in the work that we do,” said Father Steve, direc- tor of Campus Ministry. “Jesus was crucifi ed – that’s the ultimate failure, but the crucifi xion is the cornerstone for the resurrection.” K 4-year-old to 8th Grade OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, November 1, 6PM-7:30PM NOW ACCEPTING APPLIC ATIONS FOR THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR • Strong junior high science program and lab • Extensive use of integrated technology in the curriculum • Extended care before and after school • Sports, music, band, art, choir, and chess • Tuition assistance available Come visit and see the benefits St. Mary School can offer your child! 7900 Church St., Gilroy • (408) 842-2827 • stmarygilroy.org